The invention relates to a wind-protection casing and to a plug-connector device with a wind-protection casing.
Wind-protection casings serve in particular for protecting plug connections between lines from the wind, and accompanying cold. Plug connections form a pluggable connection between two conductor portions. The conductor portions may be electrical conductors or hydraulic conductors. Often, for example in automobile construction, electrical conductors and hydraulic conductors are also combined in a conductor harness. This includes the washer-fluid lines that are integrated in cable harnesses.
The plug connections are particularly susceptible to cold, and the fluid in the hydraulic lines may freeze. Line plug connectors of electrical conductor portions usually comprise hard materials and, when vibrations occur, may generate rattling and knocking noises by colliding with other line plug connectors or peripheral components. However, for great ease of maintenance, it is not possible to dispense with the line plug connectors.
In the prior art, in particular in vehicle construction, wind-protection tubes are used as wind-protection casings. These flexible wind-protection tubes are pushed over the line plug connectors, for which purpose they usually first have to be pushed onto one of the conductor portions to be connected while the line plug connectors are open. A disadvantage of this is that they can only poorly position electrical cables, including the line plug connectors, and hydraulic line plug connectors. There is the risk of noises, for example rattling noises, occurring as a result. Furthermore, wind-protection tubes partly lie against the line plug connector, whereby cold bridges are formed. As a result, fluids in hydraulic connectors can freeze, or at least become very viscous.
A further disadvantage is that of uncontrolled installation. The wind-protection tube is first brought approximately into position, and then usually a cable tie is tightened around the ends. The tightening torque is scarcely predeterminable, and so either air gaps are left or conductors are pinched. Depending on how bunches of conductors happen to turn out, the connection may loosen again later and the wind-protection tube slip. Furthermore, during installation/removal, the ends of the tubes have to be turned back, which requires manual dexterity and time. In the case of maintenance, it is disadvantageous that the wind-protection tube has to be pushed back in order to get to the individual line plug connectors.
Alternative protection for at least one electrical connector is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 7,307,219 B1, according to which two half-shells are used, forming a casing with an interior cavity when they are placed together. The openings of the half-shells are respectively spanned by an elastomer membrane. When the electrical connector is placed between the half-shells and they are closed, the two membranes are deformed around the electrical connector. It is disadvantageous that to realize this it is necessary for there to be a relatively large box around the electrical connector. If a number of line plug connectors are placed between the membranes, they can in turn collide with one another and cannot be properly positioned in relation to one another. Furthermore, the membranes represent heat bridges, which lead from the housing casing directly to the electrical connector. The casing according to U.S. Pat. No. 7,307,219 B1 therefore tends to be unsuitable for multiple line plug connectors or hydraulic connectors.
Furthermore, a casing consisting of two half-shells is disclosed by GB 1 413 650 A. The two half-shells exactly follow the geometry of the electrical conductors and connectors to be received. The half-shells are placed around them and then connected to one another by screws at a flanged edge. It is disadvantageous that there is a great heat bridge, and so this design is not suitable for hydraulic line plug connectors at low temperatures.